Here are some tips on enjoying next boxes

Cavity-nesting birds that use nest boxes are late this year, but who can blame them? It's just been too cold. But the extended weather forecast looks promising.
Several pairs of eastern bluebirds and Carolina chickadees have completed nests, but, as I write this, the nests remain empty. Surely that will change in the coming week.
Carolina wrens, on the other hand, seem to disregard the weather. I've had two pairs incubating eggs for more than a week, thanks in part to boxes placed inside outdoor sheds.
As nesting gets under way, it's time to share some tips on enjoying nest boxes.
First, monitor them. A good landlord is an attentive landlord. Beginners are often reluctant to check on an active nest -- one that has eggs or chicks in it. That's understandable because since childhood we've been bombarded with warnings against disturbing nesting birds. This can happen, but only if the disturbances are frequent, and/or they occur during the incubation period. But that caution robs us of the most exciting part of any nest box project -- watching the nest progress. By putting up a nest box, you've earned that privilege.
In moderation
It's OK to periodically check and monitor active bird nests in nest boxes, but do so in moderation. For example, during egg-laying, females visit boxes early in the morning and lay a single egg each day. So at this time, check nests during the day. Count, study and even photograph the eggs. Take notes, and show the kids. But stay no longer than one minute, and emphasize to children the importance of not disturbing nests by themselves.
After the clutch is complete and incubation begins, do not disturb. Incubation is a critical time during which females are sensitive to disturbance. If you see the female leave the box, a quick check is permissible to confirm final clutch size. If you open a box and find an incubating female warming her eggs, just quietly close the box, and walk away.
After the eggs hatch, which takes about 14 days for most small cavity-nesters, you may again check the box every few days without fear of harming the nest. You'll know when the eggs hatch because suddenly both parents will begin bringing food to the nest at two- to five-minute intervals. Watch the box, and visit immediately after you see an adult leave. Again, keep each visit brief.
Use your notes to keep track of the age of the nestlings. When the chicks are about 12 days old, the nest again becomes sensitive to disturbance. As the chicks get older, disturbances excite them, and they sometimes leave the nest prematurely. Nestlings that leave a box too soon will die. If exposure doesn't get them, predators will. So never disturb a box after the chicks are 12 days old.
Fledglings do not return to the nest after leaving the box, so it's OK to remove old nests to encourage new nests. Though chickadees and titmice raise just one brood per year, bluebirds and wrens are double- and sometimes even triple-brooded. Used nests may be infested with mites and lice, so use gloves or scoop the old nest out with a stick.
Be careful
One final word of caution: open and check boxes carefully. Wasps, mice, flying squirrels and rat snakes sometimes move in. Climbing snakes can be excluded by placing a six- to eight-inch stove pipe baffle beneath the nest box.
Another responsibility of every nest box landlord is to prevent house sparrows from using nest boxes. This exotic, invasive species is not protected by state or federal laws, so removing their nests on a daily basis is recommended. Otherwise house sparrows will out-compete, and sometimes even kill, the native species nest boxes are intended to attract.
The growth and development of a bluebird, a wren or a chickadee from egg to fledgling in just a few weeks is truly one of nature's wonders. A nest box provides the perfect window to that wonder. And if you can't provide a nest box, you can observe nest box cams at Cornell University's Birdhouse Network (www. birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse).
Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, R.D. 5, Cameron, W.Va. 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com